Today’s guest is Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program and the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C. 

He’s also the author of the 2022 book ‘On Dangerous Ground: America's Century in the South China Sea.’

We discussed the current situation in the East Sea, which tensions between China and the Philippines have dominated; Vietnam’s ongoing effort to significantly expand the islands it controls and China’s silence on the issue; the current U.S. position in the vital waterway; and the state of relations between smaller claimants overshadowed by the sheer size of China.   

Related Links:

Hanoi in High Gear: Vietnam’s Spratly Expansion Accelerates (Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative)

The South China Sea Dog That Hasn’t Barked…Yet (War on the Rocks)

South China Sea: why Beijing takes a low-key approach to Vietnam but not the Philippines (South China Morning Post)

Why is Vietnam rapidly building on South China Sea reefs? (Chatham House)

Vietnam accelerates island building to challenge China’s maritime claims (The Washington Post)

Subscribe to the Vietnam Weekly here. 

Support the podcast by Buying Me a Coffee.

Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe